Drier



F. BALZEB.

DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25, 1918.

Patented June 7, 1921.,

OZ Q W F. BALZER.

DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25. I9I8.

Patented June 7 9 I92 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- STATES FRITZ IBALZER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TROY LAUNDRY MACHIN 00., LTD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK,

DRIER.

Application filed January 25, 1918.

To all whom it may concern Be it'known that I, FRrrz BALZER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to driers.

One of the objects of the invention is to increase the efliciency of driers.

Another object is to provide a drier which is simple, compact, and automatic in operation.

Another object is to provide an improved drier which is adapted to meet the various requirements for successful commercial operation. 7

Generally speaking, these and other objects are accomplished by providing in a drier, the combination of a heated compartment having a door, means movable within said compartment for conveying material to be dried, and means whereby said door is actuated in accordance with movement of said conveying means.

The invention is illustrated on the accompanying sheets of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a drier constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same, the heater and engine being shown in plan;

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing means for controlling the supply of material from the feed hopper;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the same; and,

Fig. 5 is a detail view showlng the method of dumping the dried material into a suitable hopper. I

The various novel features of my lnvention will be apparent from the following description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

As is well known, driers are rovided for drying various kinds of materlal, such, for example, as fruits, starch, etc. My drier includes a heated compartment 10 having top and bottom walls 11 and i2, respectively, and end walls 13 and 14, respectively. Extending longitudinally from one of the end walls 13 through the compartment 10 for the greater part of its length are baffles 15 and 16, and extending longitudinally from Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June '7, 1921.

Serial No. 213,793.

the other end wall 14 through the same compartment for almost its full length is another baflle 17, which is intermediate the other bafiles 15 and 16, whereby a circuitous path 1s formed through the compartment 10, including passageways 18, 19 and 20. Heated air from any suitable heater 21 1s drawn through a pipe 22, connecting the heater and a fan 23. from which the heated alr 1s forced througha pipe 24, connecting the fan 23 with the passageway 20 of the compartment 10, from which passageway the heated air is forced through passa eways 19 and 18 of the compartment. 'fhe air, after its drying action, passes out through an exhaust pipe 25. The heater 21 includes a large number of coils 26 which are supplied preferably with steam from an engme 27.

Endless conveyers 28 take a defined circuitous route through the heated compartment 10, said conveyers preferably includmg chains which pass around sprocket wheels 29 at the ends of the passageways 18, 19 and 20.- These conveyer chains, which carry containers or receptacles 33, also pass around sprocket wheels 30, 31 and 32, which are located 'exteriorly with respect to the heated compartment 10, whereby the conveyer not only passes through the heated compartment, but also passes into and out ofthe compartment, whereby material to be dried may be received by the contamers just prior to the time the contalners enter the heated compartment and for dumping the dried material from the containers into a suitable receiving funnel 34 at the proper time. Each of the containers (see Flg. 5) is connected to its conveyer chain by links 35 by which the containers are sus ended.

The eed hopper 36, from which the material to be dried is supplied, is located just outside of the entrance 37 to the compartment 10, and has a sliding door 38 (see Fig. 3) normally held closed by the spring 39 surrounding a guided rod 40, one end of which is connected to a lever 41 pivoted at the point 42. This lever extends down- Wardly and into the path of movement of a plurality of pins or projections 43 carried by one of the sprocket wheels 32 in a man nor such that when the forward end of one of the containers 33 is directly under the feed hopper 36, the door 38 is opened by oooperative action of one of the projections 43 and the lever 41. As thesprocket wheel continues to rotate and the conveyer advances, the container 33 in question will receive a well distributed load, and by the time the rear end of the container passes under the feed hopper 36, the associated projection 43 will pass out of engagement with the lever 41, whereupon the spring automatically will close the door 38, the lever 41 being returned simultaneously into its initial position for cooperation with the next projection 43. The filled container 33 then passes into the entrance 37 of the compartment 10, and by its movement forces the entrancenloor-38 -into an open position. This door remains open until the particular container passes beyond the door, whereupon a compression spring automatically will close the door, thereby preventing the escape of heated air therethrough. In like manner,

all of the containers of the conveyer are filled and the containers in turn passed through the passageways 18, 19 and 20 of the heated compartment, in which passageways the material is dried by the action of the heated air which passes through the passageways in question in a ,dlIGCtlOIl reverse to the travel of the containers, the heated air being dry when it enters the compartment 10, and being laden with moisture when it passes out through the exhaust pipe 25. By the time that any particular container is passed through the circuitous route of the heated compartment, taking from three to six hours, as desired, the material to be dried has been dried thoroughly and the containers then pass through the exit doors 48, each of which is angular in shape. As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, one of the containers has passed through the exit door and is about to move out of engagement therewith, whereupon these doors, which are spring-pressed, will snap upwardly into positions to receive the following container. It will be observed that these doors at all times practically form. a closure so far as the escape of heated air is concerned. This action is assisted by a baflle 49 which deflects the heated air, upwardly away from the exit passageway 50 of the compartment 10. After the containers pass from the heated compartment, they pass through a conduit 51, through which cold air is supplied from any suitable source 52,- the cold air acting to cool the dried material and at the same time absorbing the heat to cause such air to be preheated at the time it enters the heater 21 through the conduit 44 connecting the conduit 42 with the heater 21. Upon passing from this cooling conduit or compartment 42, the containers are dumped to empty the dried material into the receiving hopper 34, the containers being dumped by a stationary rod or. member 45 which lies in the path of movement of the supporting container links 35, causing the containers to be turned upside down at a point ofver the receiving funnel. As soon as the containers pass beyond the stationary dumping member 45, they' swing back into their normal positions, whereupon they pass vertically upwardly for receiving another supply of material to be dried, commencing the cycle over again.

There may be as many conveyers as desirable, there being but two shown in this particular case. These, containers may be driven in any suitable manner, but ashore shownare driven by a motor 46 through suitable speed reducing mechanism 47.

It is evident that there may be various modifications of the invention as herein particularly shown and described, and it is my intention to cover all such modifications which do not involve a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a drier, the combination of a heated compartment having a plurality of horizontally disposed passageways therein, acold air supply means, a conveyer for carrying materials to be dried movable through said passageways in said heated compartment for drying purposes and movable through said cold air supply means whereby the dried material may be cooled and the air thus heated supplied to the heated compartment.

2. In a drier, a heated compartment having a plurality of horizontally disposed passageways therein, anothercompartment through which cold air passes, a conveyer movable through said passageways in said compartments, means for supplying material to said conveyer exteriorly of the heating compartment, and means for discharging the dried material afterit has passed through the heated and cold air compartments, in the latter of which the dried material is cooled.

3. Ina drier, the combination of a heated compartment having a plurality of horizontally disposed passageways therein, a cold compartment, a heater, means for conveying material through said passageways in said compartments whereby material is dried in the heated compartment and cooled in the cold compartment, the air supplied to said cold compartment being preheated and passed into said heater from which it passes into said heated compartment.

Signed-at Chicago, Illinois, this 18th day of January, 1918.

FRITZ BALZER. 

